Ben-Gurion traffic hitting new high in July-August

Israel Airports Authority anticipates August will see 1.37 million passengers at the airport.

By SHELLY PAZ
airport biz 88 224 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
airport biz 88 224
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
The Israel Airports Authority on Sunday reported new records in passenger traffic to and from Israel, with almost 1.2 million international passengers during July and nearly 1.4 million expected this month. The busiest day this summer was last Thursday, July 31, when 54,857 passengers went through Ben-Gurion Airport. The IAA expects August's Thursdays to be even busier. During July, 1,193,169 passengers travelled in and out of Israel via Ben-Gurion Airport, a 3-percent increase over the same month last year. Last month 7,381 international flights landed and took off at the national airport, a growth of 10% compared with July 2007. Out of the 1,193,169 passengers at Ben-Gurion, 579,103 people entered Israel and 614,066 went out of the country. The IAA anticipates August will see 1.37 million passengers at the airport - 5% more than in August 2007. "August and July are the busiest months of the year and the IAA is ready for the increased passenger traffic and reinforced its manpower by 5%. We are prepared to efficiently serve the passenger public during these highly busy days and we do our best to make sure their pre-vacation experience is pleasant," said Kobi Mor, director-general of the IAA. Since January 1, 6.2 million passengers have passed through Ben-Gurion Airport - a 13% growth over the first seven months of 2007. The IAA launched a pilot service for the month of August on Sunday to shorten the security check process and the waiting periods at Ben-Gurion Airport. The new fast lane service is tailored for passengers who checked-in on-line ahead of their flight and carry only hand luggage to the aircraft. Passengers who use the service skip the security check area. The pilot will be carried by the security division at Ben-Gurion Airport and the airlines that operate an early on-line check-in service, including El Al, Air Canada, Air France, British Airways, Swiss, Continental Airlines, KLM, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, Alitalia and Delta Airlines. According to the carriers, about 10% of passengers on their flights check-in on-line in advance and are anticipated to benefit from the fast security check-ins during August.